HTX — what it's good at
Strong RUB market post-sanctions. Spreads widen at off-peak hours, creating arbitrage opportunities versus Binance/Bybit. Decent INR/IDR depth.
Trade-offs: Smaller merchant pool means deep liquidity is concentrated in a handful of fiats; niche markets can be illiquid for >$10K trades.
Fees + KYC: 0% trading fees on most P2P markets. KYC required above unverified limits. Operates from Seychelles + Hong Kong; rebranded from Huobi in 2023.
OKX — what it's good at
Strong Asian fiat coverage (INR, IDR, VND, THB, MYR). UPI + IMPS depth on INR is competitive with Binance. Aggressive Chinese-merchant pool keeps spreads tight during Asian business hours.
Trade-offs: EU access restricted post-MiCA transition. Russian access was restricted in 2022 — RUB liquidity migrated to Bybit/HTX.
Fees + KYC: 0% trading fees on most P2P markets. KYC required above unverified limits. FIU-IND registered (India). Restricted in some EU jurisdictions during MiCA transition.